Dried fruit, such as grapes, cranberries and plums, has all of its moisture removed in order to make it last longer and not require refrigeration. You can eat dried fruit as is, adding it to trail mix, sprinkling it on salads and simply eating it alone as a snack. To use it in fillings, such as for pies and cobblers, you'll want to soak dried fruit to restore its moisture and soften its texture. The proper liquid-to-dried fruit ratio will moisten the fruit without making it soggy and flavorless.

Place 2 cups of dried fruit into a large bowl.

Pour 1 cup of lukewarm water into the bowl over the dried fruit.

Stir the dried fruit gently with a spoon. Make sure all of the pieces of dried fruit are evenly coated with water. If necessary, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lukewarm water to the bowl and stir it to evenly moisten the fruit.

Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Transfer the bowl into your refrigerator and let the dried fruit soak for about two hours or until the fruit is moist and slightly plumped.

Place a colander in your sink and empty the contents of the bowl into it. Allow all excess water to drain from the fruit, then pat it dry with a paper towel and use the hydrated fruit immediately as desired.